ED Conducts Searches At Premises Linked To Ex-VVMC Commissioner Anil Pawar In 60-Acre Govt Land Scam Probe

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted searches at multiple locations linked to former Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) Commissioner Anil Kumar Pawar in connection with a money laundering probe into the illegal construction of 41 buildings on 60 acres of government and private land reserved for public utilities.

The action follows a day after Pawar, a 2014-batch IAS officer, was given a formal farewell at the VVCMC headquarters  on Monday in the presence of current and former MLAs from the Vasai-Virar region. Pawar, recently transferred by the Maharashtra government, has been succeeded by IAS officer M.M. Suryawanshi.

According to officials familiar with the probe, ED teams searched  Pawar’s residential and official premises, along with 12 other locations across Mumbai, Pune, and Nashik linked to his relatives, associates, and alleged benamidars. During the operation, the agency seized Rs 1.25 crore in cash from the Nashik residence of one of Pawar’s relatives. Several incriminating documents and digital devices were also seized during the searches and are currently under scrutiny.   

The ED investigation alleges that the now-demolished 41 buildings were constructed between 2009 and 2012 in blatant violation of the city’s sanctioned development plan. The 60-acre land parcel,legally designated for public infrastructure, including a sewage treatment plant and dumping grounds was systematically encroached upon. Forged approvals, manipulated zoning clearances, and fabricated sale deeds were allegedly used to enable the large-scale construction.

Following a Bombay High Court directive issued on July 8, 2024, all 41 unauthorised buildings were demolished by February 20, 2025, leaving thousands of families homeless. A Special Leave Petition filed by affected residents was later dismissed by the Supreme Court. 

This is the third round of searches conducted by the central agency in the Vasai-Virar region within three months, as part of its ongoing probe into an alleged illegal construction and money laundering nexus. Investigators suspect a well-organised syndicate is behind the large-scale land misuse and financial irregularities.  

The agency suspects Agency suspects that during his tenure as Commissioner of VVCMC,  Pawar played a facilitative role in the alleged irregularities and may have derived personal gains.“The constructions were in violation of zoning and environmental norms and resulted in substantial losses to the civic body, while conferring undue advantage on private individuals,” a senior ED official said.

Officials familiar with the investigation further allege that Pawar misused his administrative authority by wilfully overlooking repeated violations of municipal regulations.He is also accused of being directly or indirectly involved in the issuance of forged approvals allegedly in collusion with politically connected builders, local power brokers, and senior municipal officials. Investigators believe these actions point to a deeply entrenched and coordinated nexus within the civic administration.

The ED probe has also revealed that many of those behind the 41 illegal buildings were not actual developers but real estate brokers projected as builders to create a façade of legitimacy. These brokers were backed by forged paperwork, internal collusion, and the silent support of VVCMC insiders who ensured  no questions were asked. 

  In a related operation in May, the ED seized unaccounted cash worth Rs 8.6 crore and diamond-studded jewellery and bullion valued at Rs 23.25 crore from the residence of Y.S. Reddy, the then-Deputy Director of Town Planning at VVCMC. 

According to the sources, Reddy’s statement has turned into a bombshell. Under sustained interrogation, the suspended official  reportedly disclosed the existence of a powerful syndicate embedded within the civic body, allegedly comprising senior municipal officials, political figures, and rogue builders.The ED has termed it a “deep-rooted nexus” that allegedly conspired to illegally convert public land into a private goldmine        

According to the sources, Reddy’s statement has turned into a bombshell. Under sustained questioning, the suspended Deputy Director of Town Planning is said to have exposed a powerful and entrenched syndicate operating from within the very heart of the VVCMC. His disclosures point to a well-oiled collusion involving senior civic officials, influential local politicians, fixers, and shadowy liaison agents who acted as the bridge between illegal developers and the corridors of power.

This tightly knit network allegedly sanctioned unauthorised constructions by blatantly overriding zoning regulations, environmental guidelines, and the city's officially approved development blueprint. Files were cleared not on merit, but through manipulation, pressure, and payoff transforming regulated urban planning into an underground real estate racket.

According to investigators, between 2009 and 2012, the 60-acre land parcel, legally designated for public infrastructure, was encroached upon and converted into a hub of illegal construction. The accused developers are alleged to have sold housing units to unsuspecting buyers using forged approvals, despite being aware that the buildings were unauthorised and liable to be razed.

During the two rounds of earlier searches, the ED seized crucial documents ranging from architectural plans to communications involving middlemen, VVCMC officials, and others allegedly involved in the conspiracy. Statements were also recorded from several linked municipal officials, local politicians, and builders named in the case.

The investigation has revealed that the group used forged approvals, manipulated zoning clearances, and fabricated sale deeds to facilitate the large-scale unauthorised construction of 41 buildings on a 60-acre land parcel earmarked for public infrastructure between 2009 and 2012. The accused developers allegedly sold the housing units to unsuspecting homebuyers despite being fully aware that the buildings were unauthorised and liable for demolition.

Acting on a directive from the Bombay High Court, the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) carried out the demolition of all 41 unauthorised structures by February 2025. The court-mandated action rendered hundreds of families homeless, many of whom had purchased their homes in good faith, unaware of the illegal status of the buildings.